Christmas Quarantine
by KeJae
Summary: They were quarantined in the office after being exposed to an unknown powder. Being FBI, it was feared that the team might have been targeted in an act of terrorism. What a way to spend the holidays! (A more edited edition).
1. Chapter 1

**Christmas Quarantine**

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><p>Christmas Quarantine is a holiday story inspired by seeing part of the Bones episode "Man in the Fallout Shelter" (season 1 episode 9). I didn't plan writing a holiday story but inspiration hit anyway. Due to the hurried condition of the first version, I have edited this story making minor changes and reposted it. As usual, I don't own anything. Enjoy :D<p>

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><p>It was Christmas time, and Peter wasn't at home with El while Jones and Diana weren't going to get to be home with their families either. Neal, he didn't have anywhere else to be so his only problem was being confined in isolation.<p>

With nothing to miss, Neal was feeling rather relaxed for himself, but rather sorry for his friends. So, he decided to try and make the situation easier for them by giving them a direction to vent their frustration. He kicked up his feet and threw a rubber band ball around or clicked a pen, anything to be annoying. Peter struggled to keep his calm and tried to keep Neal in check while Jones and Diana fought off their annoyance between being amused by the show that Neal was creating. It was like a typical day at the office with a bored Neal.

In an effort to avoid boredom, the team was up for virtually anything. Using conversation as a general distraction they talked cases, personal stories, and generally joked around. The team was even up to some time spent practicing origami under Neal's instruction and playing catch with the rubber band ball. Really, when the work was off the table, there wasn't much to do around the office.

Due to the situation, the FBI decided to make a special offer and bring the team their families for a visit with them while they waited for everything to work through on the tests. The service was even offered by the director of the FBI who had flown up to give the news to them in person.

Once the news was received, the conversation turned awkward as they started talking about who to choose. Peter wanted El and his visiting parents, Jones wanted his brother as he was the only person available, Diane chose Christie, and Neal didn't mention anyone as he simply chose to decline the service.

This aroused curiosity from the others as they tried to get him to open up about his past, something that they had been trying to do since he started working with them.

It became a game for the team to try and get Neal to share why he refused to have his family brought in. Then that turned into a chat about traditions and holidays of years past. While the others shared wholesome family stories, Neal made up "alleged" crimes for the team to solve.

Eventually, the director came back with his team of brass and asked for their requests. No one was too surprised by the results until they came to Neal's. "Why don't you want any of your family around?" Was the general question.

Unable to avoid answering, Neal tried to generalize his response. "It's just better this way."

Since that wasn't good enough for anyone, they pushed and pulled rank until Neal was forced to give. "Okay people! So you want to know why my family isn't coming? Due to past circumstances that I can't share the details of, I am dead to all family and friends from my past. No one is coming because I refuse to risk their lives after giving up everything to protect them. And before you ask, there is no one currently in my life besides you and those who are not available to come." With that said, he turned and retreated to hide away from the scrutiny of the others.

The silence in the space behind him was of the variety that coined the term 'You could have heard a pin drop.' No one knew what to say.

With awkwardly cleared throats, the brass walked away, all but the director. "Hmm, he must trust you a great deal to even mention that much. He never tells anybody anything." Then with a nod, he walked away too.

Standing around awkwardly, the team stared at each other.

As FBI agents it was drilled in to them to push and prod until they got to the bottom of a mystery, and with his past a blank slate, Neal's life was quite the enigma. Sure they all had theories as to why he wouldn't share his past, but they were nothing like the truth appeared to be.

While they were thinking about the situation, it dawned on them why Neal was so upset and elusive. They had been talking about family, all of the great memories that they had, and how much they were missing seeing them due to the situation. It never occurred to them that the conversation would be painful to Neal. That he wasn't talking about his family because he couldn't for some reason and not seeing them as it was impossible.

Now that they knew something of his history, they didn't know what to do about it. He had spent the time trying to distract them by being annoying, stories of "alleged crimes,"and teaching them of his skills. How could they return the favor?

Peter turned and went after Neal while the others continued to try and figure out how to repair the damage that they had done. He didn't need to do that, he already knew.

Since they were in the office and Neal's desk was out in the open, Peter checked his office first. Finding it empty, he continued to the conference room. A brief glance through and he almost missed the person hiding on the floor on the far side of the room. Neal had cleverly placed himself so that only a small bit of his dark hair could be seen between the chairs from the right angle making him almost invisible (not easy to do in such a space).

Unsure of how to approach Neal, Peter cautiously walked around the room until he was beside him. Standing over him, Peter attempted to gauge Neal's reaction to his presence, and with nothing happening, he realized that the conversation was going to be up to him.

Lowering himself to sitting position and clearing his throat, he started the awkward conversation. "I'm sorry Neal." He paused. "Your past is a huge blank and we are trained to seek out every detail, our curiosity about you got the better of us. We had no idea that you were keeping it secret for the safety of your family or that it would hurt you so much. It wasn't intentional for us to rub it in your face, and we feel awful for doing that to you. Instead of getting angry with you, we should have asked you why you wouldn't tell us, even though you probably wouldn't have told us what you did a few minutes ago. Still, you're not a case to be solve or a suspect to be interrogated, you're one of the team and we should have treated you better."

Neal nodded, but didn't speak. So Peter continued.

"Despite everything Neal, you're our friend and family too. We care about you and are interested to know who you are. Sure it all started out as learning to trust you as a criminal, but now it's to understand you as a friend. You made a huge leap of faith back there, and as much as I want to push, I'll return that favor and let you share what you want to, as you feel comfortable. In the future, we'll be doing the best we can, but we can only be so careful so we're going to be making other mistakes. Just, please don't hold it against us when we hurt you."

Not knowing what to expect, Peter leaned back and waited.

Neal was quiet and straight forward. "I don't hold it against you. I know that by not knowing about it, there is no way that you can avoid making mistakes in respects to my past. As for the questioning and training to investigate, you would be surprised at what I know about that." He smirked up at Peter knowing full well that he was poking at his desire to interrogate him. "Thank you Peter. You are well known for being horrible at emotional conversation so that was very awkward and uncomfortable for you to say, I appreciate that you did anyway, really.

For a moment Neal stopped, but Peter could sense that he was trying to say more so he continued to wait patiently.

"After everything in my life, trusting people isn't something that I can do easily. A part of me wants to give you a free pass because you're an agent and supposed to be one of the 'good guys," but then I remember how many times the 'good guys' have betrayed me, so I pull away again. So far you have steadily proved that I can trust you and you have even become one of my closest friends, one of two such people really. The ironic part of that is how much alike you are, right down to the brown features and honest smiles. I guess I'm a sucker for brown hair and eyes combined with an honest smile."

Curious, and since he brought it up anyway, Peter asked. "What else do we have in common?"

Tilting his head. "Your both agents, team leaders, you've both hated me at some point, he's a little brother to your big brother, I trust you both to do the right thing, you're my examples on how to handle life, and really it all depends on what your comparing, but it is weird just how alike you can be."

Part of that bothered Peter. "You said that we both hated you. I don't hate you Neal, never really have. Sure, I have been absolutely furious with you a few times, but I never wished anything bad to happen to you, just that you would stop causing so much trouble. If this other guy and I are so alike, I don't think he would actually hate you either."

"Well he said it, for years, so on some level he does actually hate me." He sounded sad and forlorn.

"And you compare us, so you feel like my anger at you for situations like we've had recently is me hating you?"

Neal's lack of response was telling.

"Neal, you said I was like your big brother, well you're like my little brother and I could never truly hate you." To back his words, he patted Neal's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. It conveyed that they were still friends, he was forgiving him, but it was taking time to pull everything back together and that if given the chance, the "other Peter" would probably do the same.

Seeing that Neal was relaxing due to the conversation, Peter decided to haul him back out to where the others were. It was their turn to react to the bomb Neal had dropped.

Getting up, he extended a hand to help Neal. It wasn't just a literal offer, but a metaphorical offer too. Neal grabbed his hand, an action that showed his willingness to accept both offers.

Walking back into the bullpen, Jones and Diana looked awkwardly at them. After a few moments, they each took their turn and had the same general conversation of apology and acceptance with Neal.

With the general details acknowledged and agreed upon, the team set about improving Neal's Christmas. They each took turns asking him about his "alleged" stories of crime or to create a particular origami for them to use for ornaments on the little tree they were using to decorate the office with.

Eventually, Peter brought up the comparisons again. "You said that you knew an agent in the past who reminds you of me. Is there anyone that you know who compares to anyone else in the team?"

The others quickly listened in to see what he would have to say.

"Yes, oddly enough, his team is a lot like yours. First, Hughes is a lot like their leader. He usually remains in the office and is older than the rest, but his experience and intelligence is always reliable while his bark is worse than his bite… usually. Jones resembles a nicer version of their military man. They both are good at their job and not the chattiest of people, but Jones speaks in words instead of grunts and growls. Diana is a lot like there finisher. Those who simply look at the pretty face will find a nasty surprise if they dare cross her. She is beautiful, intelligent, and not an agent in her position for nothing. Then there is the little guy. I hear he has joined the team since I was around. He is obviously easiest comparable to Mozzie, small in stature, gets into trouble, and yet very loyal and friendly… to those he likes. There is a lot of similarities between the teams, yet for some reason, I get along with most of you better than I do your… counterparts?" He seemed to be trying to think of a better term to describe the two teams.

"What do you mean, by your getting along with us better? They don't like you?" Diana asked. Her tone carried something between concern for him, amusement that he must have annoyed them somehow, and incomprehension about how someone could dislike such a person as him for long. He had won her over after all.

"Well, their Diana is my ex. Our relationship fell apart after I was accused of being something that I wasn't, something worse than a con. When my name was cleared, we saw each other a few times, but she was falling for their version of Peter so I lost her to the better man in the end. The military man has been a working rival. Meaning that I have endeavored to do things before him and won. He's good at strength and military strategy while I'm better with wit and charm, he doesn't like losing to 'wussy skills.' Finally their little guy, he has been best friends with their Peter since grade school. He sees me as his rival for the role of best friend as well as a betrayer. There was a situation where if I didn't do something, their Peter would have been killed, and that something had the appearance of betrayal. So, with no romantic or competitive history and no appearance of utter betrayal between us, it is easier to be accepted here." It was difficult to summarize that and he hoped he hadn't given too much away. Still, Neal felt relieved to share some vague truth about his past.

This time Jones had a question. "Do you have a 'counterpart' role with their team?"

"Am I someone else with them and does that role resemble my role here?" Neal tried to clarify.

Jones nodded that he was correct.

"Hmm. I guess you could say that. Here I am a literal member of the team, but yet I am not because I'm not an agent. There, I am more of a counterpart to the team, working for the same goals but not usually directly involved with them. Both groups see me as the annoying guy, sometimes as the intruding party who doesn't exactly fit in, and as a bit of a know-it-all. I do use different names and parts of my past as back stories, the histories are real in a part of my life but I let the conclusion be drawn that the history covers more of my life than it actually does. So yeah, there are parts of my life here for Neal Caffrey that are both similar and different to who I am with them." He was nervous, that was getting a bit too personal to comfortably share.

Peter had a look for Neal that said he was about to tell him off about a few of his assumptions, but luckily for Neal, he was interrupted before he could get started. The director was back and it was Peter's turn to go speak with El and his parents. Standing up to leave, Peter gave Neal a look to expect the chat to be delayed but not forgotten.

Expecting further interruptions, Jones and Diana decided to leave the chat to Peter and give Neal a break for the moment. They could understand why Neal would be feeling down due to the situation, but if they saw signs of those negative thoughts in the future, he would have more chats to look forward too.

As the day progressed, each of them got to speak to their respective loved ones while Neal was kept entertained by those who were already done or were waiting their turn.

When the end came around, Neal was surprised to hear his name called. Leaving the others, he was surprised to see the director of the FBI waiting for him alone. "I have been talking to Beckman and we have come to an agreement. This case is going to need a joint task force between the two agencies for information, but as it is on American soil, the CIA has its hands tied. The compromise we came to is that your old team is now generally civilian so they will represent the other agencies, and your current team will represent the FBI. In order to begin this case on good terms, we have decided to make your visit with Chuck and the team. Each member has been made aware of your current situation as well as the reason for your being here so you need not worry about being criticized for that. Catch up and find a means of working together amicably." With nothing else to say, the director waved the team over while walking away himself.

Completely surprised, Neal had a bit of a 'deer in the headlights' expression going on, but he quickly worked to mask it in order to put on a stronger appearance.

It didn't take Chuck long to see right through Neal and go straight to the heart of the problem. Neal had never had the chance to fully settle his relationships with the team so he felt that he didn't fit in right because he didn't know where he stood. So being Chuck, he started by working on his friendship with Bryce, who he now had to remember to call Neal in the presence of the FBI.

Following Chuck's lead, the others found a safe ground to work with him on and at least started to resolve any past issues. Things wouldn't work out with one conversation (especially not between Neal and Morgan), but one conversation made a good starting point.

Before they left for the night, Neal asked the team if he could introduce them to his new team. They agreed, curious as he said they were all a lot alike.

It made for an odd picture, the two teams lined up on opposing sides of the glass. They didn't do it intentionally, but the teams lined up opposing their 'counterpart' with Peter across from Chuck, Jones from Casey and so on. The only people missing for comparison were Mozzie and Neal standing as Bryce.

Going through the introductions, Neal could see the teams eyeing each other for similarities and differences. He could also see that Peter and Chuck had silently agreed to work on his feeling of not quite fitting in with each team. This case was going to be difficult on a personal scale, but maybe it would all be worth it?

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><p>This story had more views in a day than I have seen on any of my stories and I would like to thank all of those readers who have followed, left kudos, andor chosen to favorite it :D


	2. Chapter 2

**New Year's Resolution**

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><p>My sister has requested the case and team work to be detailed in a smoother conclusion to the story. Since there have been several forms of response to this story as well as another request for more, I decided that no one would be too upset if I chose to make another holiday chapter in conclusion :D<p>

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><p>The quarantine ended the next afternoon with the powder being declared not dangerous due to being outdated. As they were released, the team went to their respective homes with relief while Neal walked with some trepidation. He knew that Chuck and the team would be waiting for him so he would have to face them without glass in between or the FBI lurking nearby. How would he be received in private?<p>

As he arrived home he tried to be as normal as he could. It was fortunate that June and Mozzie were out of town with either family events or unknown tasks so that he didn't have to worry about explaining a team of CIA and NSA agents chilling in his apartment.

Opening the door, he got the expected greeting. Morgan had teamed up with Chuck to install a gaming system which was keeping the two of them occupied as they fought against Casey in a military style game. Sarah was perusing through the books and had obviously found a few of his hiding spots because there was no way he was getting them past her. What surprised him was that Chuck had his family with him, including two women that Bryce hadn't met.

It was obvious that the group had settled in to a point of feeling at home because Neal had stood in the room for a few moments before anyone felt the need to speak to him.

Ellie approached him first. "Bryce." He nodded in greeting as she continued. "I'm not going to say that I'm thankful for what you did at Stanford or for sending Chuck the Intersect, but I am thankful that you protected my brother and brought my family back together." She extended her hand to him and continued. "I can accept you as my brother's friend, but I ask that you talk to him before doing anything drastic in the future. He can take care of himself you know, and if it is too much he has the rest of us to help." The last part was said as Bryce took her hand. Unexpectedly, she pulled him into a hug and said, "You do too you know."

For a moment Bryce stood stiff as a board with shock. He hadn't expected Ellie to forgive him, yet alone so easily, and the continuing hug didn't help the surprise at her welcome. After a few moments he relaxed enough to return the hug and thank her for her acceptance.

When she stepped back she had a few tears in her eyes and before Bryce could figure out how to handle the situation he found himself engulfed in the next hug.

"Bruce. Thank you for protecting Chuck back in college. Sending him the Intersect definitely sent our lives into a whirl, but the spin has been awesome. It wasn't all good, but awesome all the same." Devon was enthusiastic and spirited in his welcome. The past was all history and under the bridge.

One of the strange women was the next person to step forward. "We haven't met before. I'm Mary Bartowski, but you might have heard of me by my code name Frost. Chuck told you about how I left when he was little, but he didn't yet know the reason. My cover in Volkoff Industries had been blown and coming home would have brought the whole organization down on my family so I kept the danger away. Stephen and Chuck have shared with me various details about you so I would also like to thank you. You helped my husband and protected my son. If you ever need to talk, I know a thing or two about leaving everything behind to protect family." She didn't move forward for any physical form of acceptance as they didn't know each other, but she used her words to welcome him.

Bryce could deal with that. He'd had enough unexpected hugs already and the situation was awkward for someone who wasn't used to having a loving family environment.

The only unknown adult person left in the room stepped forward. "My dad tells me that you're a good agent who has honorably served his country. He may never say it to your face, but he is proud to work with you. I can't say anything for myself as I have never met you before, but I thought you should know that based on what I have been told about you." There was a muted growl from a crossed the room and the woman simply shrugged. She could see the shock on Bryce's face as he stood there unsure of how to react to that. It didn't matter how annoyed her father was, his friend needed to know that he wasn't as disliked as he thought. "Oh, my name is Alex by the way." She added before moving over to take the control from Chuck.

Even though it was his own home, Bryce didn't know what to do so Chuck took him outside to talk.

"How did you know Chuck?" He hadn't told anyone outside of his FBI team how he felt about being a misfit. Oh, Peter. The agent had given him a look that said his negative feelings would be addressed… only hours before being introduced to the "other Peter." Something was to be expected to come of such a meeting, but he really didn't expect Chuck to get everyone involved.

"The 'other Chuck' in your life said that you didn't feel like you were very welcome in our team. I know things haven't always been that great in our past and I spent a lot of years dwelling on how much I hated you. But, what you need to know, is that I didn't actually hate you. You hurt me with your actions and I didn't understand why you had treated me that way so I lashed out at you.

Morgan has been my best friend since the third grade so we have a long history, but you and I were going to have a long future as business partners and friends. Then you seemed to betray me in the worst way possible to a naïve college boy. It was worse than if Morgan had done it to me. You were more mature so I trusted you to have my back when I needed you." He held up his hand to forestall Bryce's response. "You had my back in ways that I couldn't imagine at the time, but I didn't know that until later. What I'm saying Bryce, is that you are one of my best friends and I never really hated you. It was just a word that I used to express how much I was hurt. Treating you that way was wrong of me, and I'm sorry Bryce." Chuck was leaning forward and looking at Bryce with serious sincerity.

Bryce leaned away and turned to face the view. "Thank you Chuck, I understand your position."

"Then why are you so upset?" He was falling back into his experience on the couch.

"Playing psychologist?" Bryce smirked at him before smiling fondly in amusement. "I haven't ever told anyone, but if you're going to understand why I react the way I do there are some things that you should know.

Chuck shifted his position so that he was sitting in a more receptive attitude.

The smile faltered and Bryce continued. "My father betrayed us and my entire family fell apart. When I was eighteen I learned that my mother had lied to me about everything, down to my own name. Then you and Peter became the family that I choose, my brothers. Since family has always let me down, I find myself looking for how you are going to let me down too. What better ways than to not accept me for being different or actions that saved your life while appearing as betrayals? It's a twisted view, I know, but I can explain it away so that it doesn't hurt so much."

Analyzing that, Chuck summarized his conclusion. "You see Peter and me as your brothers, and as family that we will let you down eventually. Instead of waiting for us to actually hurt you, you perceive ways of distancing yourself that don't hurt as much because you can control them. By extension, our teams are our families and lumped in with us… Yeah that is a bit twisted, but understandable. Your childhood issues were out of your control so you create situations that you can control as a defense against what you expect based on past experience."

Bryce turned away from him like he was trying to hide his embarrassment.

Reaching out to him, Chuck grabbed his shoulder. "Look at me Bryce." When he complied Chuck continued. "Truthfully, I expected you to abandon me at some point. I mean my own parents disappeared into the world at large when I was young, so why wouldn't my friend leave me when my own parents couldn't stick around? You aren't the only person to project your past experiences on the current people in your life. Everyone looks at the current people in their lives with a bias based on the past; some just handle that differently."

Bryce's shoulders relaxed as Chuck understood what he was going through. He knew that it would reach Peter's ears as soon as Chuck got the chance, but perhaps that was for the better. If Peter and Chuck knew something of why he pulled away, maybe they would keep reaching out.

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><p>It was awkward walking into the office the next morning. Neal stood in his usual suit and fedora as team Chuck walked in behind him while team Peter looked on for signs of how Neal was doing… very awkward for Neal.<p>

Endeavoring to bypass the congenial chit chat, Neal directed everyone up to the conference room in order to get to work. His efforts didn't stop general conversations as the others paired off behind him, but at least it reduced how much he had to hear. He knew that the general talk about law enforcement, military history, or the sights of the city were all means of the teams merging together while covering Peter and Chuck discussing how to handle him.

Once the teams were set up in the conference room they began to go through their respective information.

Peter filled everyone in on the White Collar suspect that they had been searching for when a lead sent them to an abandoned building. While searching the building for clues, someone set a trip wire off causing the team to be sprinkled with an unknown powder.

Taking precaution against the possibility of a terrorist trap, the team was checked over and ordered into quarantine to ensure that they hadn't been exposed to anything dangerous. The powder was an old and rare poison so it took the medical teams a while to figure out the content. Once they were able to discover what they were dealing with they checked into its potency only to be relieved at its having aged past the point of being dangerous.

Chuck took over and explained the perpetrator's connections to terrorist and why the CIA was after him and his associates.

When the teams were done updating each other about what their agencies knew they began to talk about what direction to take the investigation. As the pictures were being passed around Chuck suddenly went silent and stared at the picture of the abandoned building with a funny look on his face.

"Neal, does this place look familiar to you?" He passed the pictures of the place over to him for closer inspection.

The others quieted down as they wondered what the two were onto.

"Hmm… I didn't look at it for familiarity when we were searching for clues, but now that you mention it. It's one of Orion's safe houses isn't it? The computer would be hidden behind that wall, you can see the usual pieces of his security, and it has the typical simplistic arrangement of the visual elements."

Diana and Hughes were two of the most surprised people in the room. "He exists?"

Hughes took the lead. "I have heard of a spy legend named Orion, but I always thought that he was simply a legend. You're saying that he is real?"

Diana had her own comment. "DC has had rumors of a mysterious agent Orion for years but no one seems to know anything about him."

Exchanging looks, Neal and Chuck decided to share the lead on answering the inquiries.

"He was my father and I was fortunate enough to work with him a few times in the field as well." Chuck was simple in his answer as to whether or not he really existed and how the team knew anything about him.

"Orion contacted me for assistance at one point. Over time he became a mentor to me and taught me a great deal. He was most famous in the field for his engineering skills, as a legendary spy, and for his genius evasion tactics. I am told he was killed in action and died in his Chuck's arms a few years ago." Neal was serious as he recited the facts and took it upon himself to mention Orion's unfortunate demise in an effort to spare Chuck.

There were apologetic glances and accepting nods shared between the White Collar team and Chuck.

"Our condolences for your father's passing, Chuck." Peter verbally made a small acknowledgement but didn't dwell on the unpleasant topic. "So it sounds like someone set a trap for Orion at one of his safe houses only he never triggered it. Then our perp found the building abandoned and decided to use it as a hangout. The two situations may not be connected but we need to proceed with caution just in case."

The talk of the case continued until the two teams broke up to do further research.

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><p>Over the following days the two teams worked in tandem using the same office to do their research or working together to use their resources on the streets to gather information.<p>

There was an unexpected form of comradery being created along the way. Morgan, Chuck, and Neal even had a joke playing out a current humor fad.

"I have an army." Neal would say in his most villainous act while either sitting or standing tall.

"We have a Hulk." Morgan would smirk at him like an army was nothing in comparison while lounging in easy confidence.

"I've got a jar of dirt." Chuck would recite the silly phrase in a sing song tone and if he was walking he would throw in a dance like sway to his movements.

Once this routine was started it was something that was to be endured until the nerds no longer saw it as amusing. Sarah smiled fondly, Peter rolled his eyes but smiled to himself, Casey wished for ear plugs, and the rest of the team feigned annoyance even though they were secretly relieved that Neal was being accepted so easily.

The rest of the teams also began to find ways of bonding. Jones and Casey had competitive jokes where they discussed their military services. Sarah and Diana enjoyed girl talk from the perspective of tough agents. Peter, he found himself with a lineup of younger brothers descending through Neal, Chuck, and finally to the youngest in Morgan. They looked up to Peter for help deciding how to handle situations while Peter found himself being drug into youthful nerd games to please the younger men. Hughes picked up a contact in Beckman and they shared updates on how the teams were working together and means of continuing the alliance.

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><p>With such teams working together it was not unexpected that they were able to finish the case quickly.<p>

In only a few days the teams were able to figure out that the White Collar case was indeed connected to the CIA terrorist investigation, the lead was a trap, and the operation was bigger than expected. When it came time to make the final arrest, they were more prepared with a three agency taskforce working to complete the case. The FBI provided most of the man power, the NSA took on the main terrorists, and the CIA provided general support.

What no one expected was to find Orion being held prisoner. He was alive and being forced to create a bigger and better version of the Intersect. Orion had done his best in avoiding the machine falling into the enemy's hands, but he was almost unable to avoid it.

Chuck called his family and went with his father to get checked out, Neal set to work on taking apart the computer with Peter and Jones following his directions, Casey led the teams taking the perpetrators away, while Diana and Sarah took care of the teams collecting evidence.

Peter and Jones found themselves further surprised by Neal as they worked with him. First he showed great aptitude in computer engineering, and then four men came out of a secret passageway dressed as ninjas to attack which caused Neal to reveal his abilities in combat. Peter was beginning to suspect that Neal had a lot more to his history with this team of agents than he was letting on.

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><p>It was New Years Eve and the teams had closed the case. To celebrate, they decided to get together and bring in the new year as a cohesive group.<p>

Elizabeth quickly threw together a spread at the Burke residence and Peter invited everyone to their home. Satchmo made his rounds through the guest as they arrived before retreating to his bed to observe the gayety from the sidelines.

The setting was warm and festive making it welcoming to those who were new to the environment and a smorgasbord of treats tempted even the little pallet of Clara to take part while a variety of drinks kept the conversation going.

For entertainment, the two teams decided to set up a challenge to see which team was smarter and settle minor taunts that had been going all week. The rules were laid down and the general details arranged before the two split up. It was a game to see who could use a set group of clues arranged in a case to stump the other team before they switched cases and tried to solve the other's case. Each team used past experiences and every advantage to try and stump the other group. Since Neal/Bryce was a member of both teams, he was nominated as referee. He wasn't surprised that the game ended in a draw.

As midnight drew nearer, the conversations turned more emotional and in the direction of the past versus the coming future. Eventually the teams started talking about what they were grateful of in the past year. Chuck was grateful that Neal and his father turned out to be alive after all. Peter was grateful to have his wife, his team, his best friend and little brother, and the new addition of the other team in his life. The others all went through similarly expected reasons to be grateful for the year, and then it was Neal's turn.

Looking at the teams, but focusing on Peter and Chuck, Neal shared what he was thankful for. "I'm grateful for being 'killed' in the past and sprinkled with an unknown powder for the holidays. The first, because it brought me back to playing Neal Caffrey where I got to find my team here, and the second because it brought my other team back into my life. You guys are my family that I choose. Some of you have wondered if my biological family can ever come back into the picture, and they can't. Having been 'dead' in the past was only half of the problem; the other half is that my family is deep between state's evidence and wit-sec. There is a lot that I can't share with any of you at this point, including the mystery to my past with Chuck and his team, but I am thankful that you're all willing to go along for the ride."

Peter raised his drink in a toast. "To a long and happy future with the family that you choose." It was directed to Neal and the promise to be there for him through anything whether he liked it or not. In short, Peter had talked to Chuck and both of them were going to keep reaching out to Neal no matter what the future might bring, he was their brother after all.

Raising their drinks in agreement, everyone present joined in the toast and the promise. It was their New Year's resolution.

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><p>Thank you for all of your responses to this story :D<p> 


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